THE PERFECT HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUN

How many of y’all have tried to make the perfect hamburger at home? If you are anything like me then my guess is that probably most of you have. Now you must know that you can never have the perfect hamburger without the perfect hamburger bun. Now I know you could just go out and buy your hamburger buns at your local grocery store, but you are never going to get a fresher bun than the one you make in your very own kitchen.

Fear not my friend, these are not any harder to make than your average yeast bread. Also you should know that the great thing about making hamburger buns at home is you can whip up a double batch and freeze the leftover buns. So you can have a great hamburger whenever the mood strikes you. Give it a try y’all and you will never again buy hamburger buns at the store.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp. warm milk

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. instant yeast

2½ tbsp. sugar

1½ tsp. salt

1 large egg

3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

FOR TOPPING:

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash

Sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low-speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F with a rack in the center. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.